Strawberry Shortcakes

I had the mother's over last week for a Mother's Day dinner. Since it was such a nice day out, I thought for dinner we should BBQ and for dessert we should have something fresh and fruity! I got this recipe for stawberry shortcakes from my boyfriend's cookbook called 'Betty Crocker's Cooking Basics', my boyfriends mom got this for him before we had met and she inscribed it saying 'A man who knows how to cook can always attract someone to share a meal with!' Looks like it worked on me ;) This recipe was very simple and fun to make. The biscuits were like mini scones cut in half and I served them with sugar soaked strawberries and lots of whipped cream (I also sprinkled a few almond slivers on top for a little something extra). The combination of the sweet strawberries, the soft biscuit and the creamy whippped cream was just perfect.

1) Preheat oven to 450F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper2) In a large bowl mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt3) Cut shortening into flour mixture with a pastry blender or two sharp knives until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs4) Stir milk into crumb mixture and mix until just blended and dough forms (if mixture does not completely moistened, stir in an additional 1 - 3tsp milk)5) Spoon mixture onto prepared baking sheet into 6 equal parts6) Bake for 10-12min or until evenly golden brown on the bottoms, then let them cool to room temperature (or you can serve them warm out of the oven)

For Strawberries:7) In a large bowl mix together strawberries, vanilla, sugar, and water and stir until evenly mixed8) Cover mixture and let sit in the fridge for a few hours before serving, mixing mixture at least once again while in the fridge

9) Cut each shortcake in half and serve with a spoonfull of strawberries, whipped cream (and almonds), then enjoy!